Six arrested in Serbia over alleged voter registration fraud involving Bosnia and Herzegovina residents

The arrests were ordered by the Special Anti-Corruption Department of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad as part of an investigation into alleged influence peddling and abuse of office.

According to prosecutors, employees of the Mali Zvornik municipal administration and local police station allegedly facilitated the registration of false residential addresses for people from Bosnia and Herzegovina between April and July 2025.

The registrations were allegedly arranged in exchange for money and were intended to enable those individuals to vote in Serbian elections.

Investigators suspect that officials falsified records of mandatory field inspections, falsely confirming that the individuals concerned lived at the registered addresses in Serbia.

Prosecutors identified the suspects by their initials and said they were being investigated for influence peddling and abuse of official position.

Municipal vehicles allegedly used for trips to pro-government camp

The investigation also involves the alleged misuse of municipal resources to support activities at a controversial encampment in central Belgrade.

One suspect, identified as M.O., is accused of using official municipal vehicles during April and May 2025 to travel from Mali Zvornik to Belgrade's Pionirski Park, despite the journeys having no connection to official duties.

The park became known as "Cacilend", a nickname for a pro-government encampment established during the mass anti-corruption protests that swept Serbia following the deadly collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad in November 2024.

The encampment was associated with supporters of then-President Aleksandar Vucic and was widely viewed as a counterweight to the student-led protest movement demanding accountability and institutional reform.

Another suspect, identified as B.I., allegedly approved vehicle authorisation forms that lacked essential information, including the purpose of the journeys and departure and return times.

Allegations raise questions about cross-border electoral practices

The case concerns Mali Zvornik, a Serbian municipality situated directly across the Drina River from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The allegations highlight concerns over the possible manipulation of residential registration procedures for electoral purposes, particularly in communities along the border where cross-border ties and dual citizenship are common.

The investigation centres on whether public officials deliberately entered false information into official records to facilitate voting by people who did not genuinely reside at the registered addresses.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

All suspects have been ordered detained for up to 48 hours, during which they are expected to be brought before prosecutors in Novi Sad for questioning.

The prosecutor's statement did not specify how many people from Bosnia and Herzegovina were allegedly registered through the scheme or which elections the registrations were intended to influence.